Tubular fire escape



A. H. STURGES TUBULAR FIRE ESCAPE Filed Sept. 4 1924 April 21, 1925.

'13 Silets-Sheec 1 Api'il 21, 1925.

A H. STURGES TUBULAR FIRE ESCAPE Filed Sept. 4, 1924 3 Shts-Sheet 2 April 21, 1925.

A. H. STURGES TUBULAR FIRE ESCAPE Filed Sept. 4, 1924 3 Sheets-Shet 5 W 'I'I Patented Apr. 21, 19 25.

, barren STAT Es p "153M533. P rrier entice.

ARTHUR H. STIl'RGES, Oi? GMAHA, NEBRASKA.

TUBULAR Iii-scars.

Application filed September a, last; semi No. tsetse.

To all whom may concern: I lie it known that I, ARTHUR H. S'LUnons,

a citizen of the United "States, residing at (.huaha, in the county of Douglas and State oil Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tubular ;Fire' Es capes, of which thefo'llowing is specific-a tion.

The present inventioirrelates to fire escapes and particularly to a fire escape of the tubular type.

An-object of thepresent invention is to provide a fire escape with a novel construction of entrance which may be closed when not in use, and which at the same time will,

comply with the variousla-ws and regulations of the several States relative to tire and emergency exits for public buildings,

and the like.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide a. tubular fire escape with improved Ineansfor assisting persons into the tube proper, and which means is adapted for use with persons of various sizes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tire escape with a door at its entrance opening which will effectively close the opening against drafts, and which has means to prevent the opening of the door either fronrwithin the tubular member or from the exterior of the tubular member and the building;

door which is operable from a position within the building, and without requiring any special ineans, suohas keys, tools or the like, and which may be actuated with ease at times of excitement, such as during a fire, and may be readily operated even though persons may be jammed against and about, the exit opening.

The invention furtheraiins, in a tubular lire escape, at the provision of an improved locking means for the closure which is sineple in construction which is visible at all times and is fool proof; which maybe easily operatedby an one and without the exerdisc of special skill; which is susceptible of automatic operation by persons crowding against it or standing in proximity thereto.

The present device isadapted particularly for installation upon schools and like public which at thesame time pro-. vides operating means for releasing the.

formed of. sheet metal.

to also provide a device which n'lay be safely used for the amusement of the children during fire I drills; to, familiarize the children with the fireescape apparatus and stimulate their interest in such drills to, thus offset and reduce the liability of panic when real danger arises from lire or other causes; to thus benefit froin the point of interest and amusement as well as from the standpoint of protection; and to incense the interest of the children ingtheir studies and other duties incident to their attendance at school.

. The invention also aims to advance the art in a still further and iniporta-nt' feature by providing a novel type of door mounting which'will permit the door'toopen freely and swing; away from its frame. This improvement is considered essential; and i111- portant in this particular art inasmuch as doors used for this purpose heretofore have instead of affording a means of quick escape as the devices.

1th the foregoing and other ob ects in intended purpose of this class of view, the invention will belnore fully described hereinafter, and will be more part cularly pointed out in the clann appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols parts throughreferto lilre or corresponding" out the several views,

Figure 1' is a side elevation, partly in section, of a tubular fire escape constructed according to the present invention, and as applied to the wall of a building, the full lines showing the device arranged rectilinearly, and the dotted lines showing the direction in which the tube may be curved.

Figure 2 is a detail top plan view of the entrance section of the fire escape which Figure 3 is afraginentary sectional view, showing a gravity operated detent for holding the entrance door open. t

Figure l is a front elevation of thejentrance to the fire escape, with the door closed and showing. the adjacent floor structure in section.

Figure 5 is. a vertical transverse section through the door with its frame and adjacent parts, the entrance section being removed.

Figure 6 is a rear or outside elevation of the entrance to the tube proper, with the door closed, and showing the adjacent frame and easing structure.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a building having a fire escape constructed according to the present invention applied thereto, the fire escape being slightly modified by the inclusion of an elbow in the upper end thereof to impart a substantially right angular turn to the tube, and

Figure 8 is a detail top plan view of the threshold to the exit door opening, showing themovable plate for releasing the door.

The tubular fire escape of this invention is adapted to be mounted e-Xteriorly of a building and to lead from a window, a door or other suitable opening formed in the side wall 76 of the building at a point above the ground.

To install the fire escape, an opening may be made. through the solid brick wall T6, and a frame of rough dimension lumber inserted therein. Thisframe consists of a head piece 10, sides 11 and bottom board 12 is placed substantially flush with the finished flooring 13, as shown in Figure 5. This frame is wedged into place in the opening 77, the wedges being placed between the frame and the surrounding brick or other material of which the wall 76 of the building may be constructed.

The upper or entrance section 78 of the fire escape is fitted at its upper end within the frame and secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by means of fiat headed nails 14. The with brick or other material is now replaced about the entrance section 78 and is supported above the entrance section, and outwardly of the door frame, by means of the lintel bar15.

The entrance section 7 8 is provided at its lower end with a circular collar or fiange 16 adapted to fit within the next adjacent section 79 of the tube body and is secured thereto by rivets 17, solder, or any other means of firm connection.

The body sections 79, the bottom or landing section 80, and the elbow or connecting sections 81 are all similar in construction to the showing in my prior Patent No. 1,483,249 granted February 12, 1924-. I

The upper end 18 of the entrance section 78 is given a rectangular shape in cross section and is fitted snugly within the wooden frame. The bottom 19 of the entrance section 78 is curved on the radius of the collar 16 and its side walls, as shown in Figure 6,

' are vertical and merge into the curved bottom 19 as shown in Figure 6. The roof portion 20, with the sides, forms a rectangular fiat at its underside to receive a door 21 when the door is released and swung into position beneath the top wall 20.

The door 24 is adapted to swing upwardly and into the entrance section 78, and is secured to the head casing 25 by hinges 26. The casing 25 is secured to the top board 10 of the frame and the side casings 28 are secured to boards 11 by screws 27 or the like. An inside threshold board 29 is placed over the flange 18 at the bottom thereof to cover the rough edge of the sheet metal, as shown in Figure 1, and this board 29 is made fiush with the finished flooring 13.

Referring now particularly to Figures 5 and 8, the threshold member is shown as installed on top of the flooring 13 and in front of the entrance section 7 8. This threshold member comprises a preferably metal frame 30 having inclined or beveled edges 31, and which is secured to the flooring 13 by screws 32 or the like. The frame 30 has hinge lugs 33 which intermesh with the recessed edge of a foot plate 33 seated in the frame and pivotally secured therein by one or more pintles A spring 35 is arranged beneath the foot plate 33 and normally urges the free end thereof upwardly, the frame 30 being so positioned as to arrange the free end of the foot plate beneath the door 2 1. It will be noted, particularly from Figure 5, that there is a definite clearance between the frame 30 and the lower edge of the door 2 1 to prevent any possibility of the door binding against the threshold by the settling of the foundation of the building. the warping of the closure casings about the door 2-1. the swelling of the door incident to damp weather, and to offset any possible dearrangement of the door which would cause the same to sag or catch upon the frame 30. The door 2 1 is provided across its rear edge with a preferably metallic stop strip 36 secured by rivets 37 or the like and which projects below the lower edge of the door suf ficiently to lap against the outer edge of the frame 30 and seal the crevice beneath the door 24 against drafts and the like, and to also serve as a stop to limit the swinging of the door when it reaches its substantially vertical closed position.

As best seen from Figure 8, the foot plate 33 is provided near its free edge and at an intermediate point, with a recess 38 adapted to receive therein the end of a rod 39, Fig

ure, 4, which comprises a releasable latch mounted on the door 24:. The latch 39' and the stop strip 86 are definitely spaced apart with respect to the location of the recess 36 so as to at all times bring the latch 39 into registry with the recess 38 when the door is closed.v The latch 39 is pivoted at its upper end by a pin lO to a vertically swinging plate 41 mounted uponthe door 24L by a pivot lfl which passes through an intermediate portion of the plate ll. The pivot is arranged upon one endot the plate etl, and the other end of the plate ll has pivoted to it a rod 43 which extends upwardly along the inner side of the doorand is slidably mountedin brackets 4d carried by the door. A p g 4:5 is disposed. about the rod 43,

preferably near its lower end, and rests at one end against the lowermostbracket 4d and bears at its uppeixend against a collar it] which is secured in adjusted position by a set screw 4-7 on a rod 43 to impartthe desired tension to the spring as.

Incorporatedin the upper end portion of .the rod. d3 is a Jre'lerabl right and left threaded coupling 48 comprising a turn buckle by means of which the eliective length of the rod 43 may be varied... The head casing 25 is providedwith a pair of spaced apart brackets 4-9 arranged above the hinges 26 of the door and the door 24 is provided intermediate its upper and lower ends,

with a second pair of brackets 50 for pivotally receiving the outturned ends of hanger arms 61 which carry a cross bar 62 in their outer free ends. The rods 62 may thus be swung upon the outturned ends or trunnio-ns 60, and the brackets is and 50 are provided upon their inner faces with stops tie; adapted to engage the heels or projections 63 of the hanger arms 61. These stops 64. are arranged in diiierent positions in the brackets 4-9 and 50 as shown to advantage in Figure 5 so that the upper hanger arms 61 are maintained in the horizontal position when lowered, and the lower hanger arms 61 are permitted to swing downwardly at a suitable angle. I

The upper bar 62 is provided with a latch 65 disposed in registry with the rod 43 and extending downwardly and across the top oi the rod 43 so as to engage the same and support the bar 62 in a partly raised position so as to leave a slight clearance between the heel 63 of the hanger arm 61 and the stop 64. Ina like manner, the lower bar 62 is provided with a latch 66 which extends downwardly and inwardly toward the rod l3 and bears against a stop collar 67 fined upon the rod and arranged to support the latch and its bar 62 in position with the heel 63 spaced from the stop 6% ol the lower hanger bar 62. The hinges 26 are pre'lerably of the spring hinge type and are all well known in the art being at present manufactured bythe Boomer Spring Hinge Company of Brooklyn, New York. These hinges 26 are equipped interiorly with the springs 68, shown in dotted lines in Figure 6, which are ofsuflicient tension and strength to raise the lower end of the door fZtfrom a vertical or otherwise suitably secured in place near the lower end or the root and pivotally supporting thereon a hook arm 71. which is elongated and angle-sha1: ed, so as to dispose a weighted. hook 72 on the outer end of the arm in position to snap over the stop strip 36 of the door as the latter is swung into a full open position. The arniil being freely pivoted is adapted to "fall by gravity altter the hook 72 passesover the strip 36 and is adapted to interlock with the strip for supporting the door from the pivoted bracket. The angulz'ir formation of the arm 71 causes the hook 72 to bind against the under side of the strip 36 as soon as the weight oi? the door is taken up by the hook 72.

In order to insure the free movement of the door under all conditions the door 24 when closed overlaps at its side edges 73 the side casings 28 and abuts-flatagainstthem.

The side edges 73 are spaced from the side walls of the entrance section 78 so that there will be a clearance space I' l between the entrance section and the lateral marginal edge of the door to prevent any possible binding between the door and entrance section. This construction and arrangement insures a free movement of the door during emergency and when persons operating the door are in an excited mood during a fire or the like and thus insures the operation of the structure under all conditions, a "feature which has heretofore been lacking in all prior fire escape structures of this character.

From the above it is thought the operation of the tubular lire escape closure will be understood for when a person approaches the exit 77 in the side of the building he may grasp or press against either the upper or lower rod 62, the lower rod being held at such an angle that pressure against it will force its latch 66 downwardly and'eli'ect the sliding of the rod 43. In the case of the upper bar 62, when a person reaches up and. grasps it a slight downward movement on the rodcauses the upper latch 65 to press the rod 13 downwardly. This downward fro movement of the rod 48 lifts the latch 39 out of the recess 38 in the foot plate 33 and trees the door which immediately swings upward under tension of the door springs 68. As the door swings up it becomes interlocked with theretaining' hook 72. It will thus be seen that when a group of persons crowd against the door 2st the pressure of the nearest person against the rod (32 will release the door 24 and it will fly open. On the other hand, should a person approach the tire escape door and not understand how to operate it. the weight of the person on the toot plate 33 would depress the plate against the tension of the spring; 35 and move the plate down out of engagement with the latch 39. This operation releases the door 24 so that. it is free to swing outwardly into open position. The latch 39 is mainlaineu from moving downwari'lly beyond a u'e'rleterinined position by the weight of the rod 43 and the parts resting thereon, and is determined by the position of the collar 46 against the spring" 45.

It. will be noted that the present invention provides a tire door, the door controlling the entrance to the fire escape which can not be rendered inoierative incident to normal conditions of warping and settling of the parts as the door is merely fitted against its frame and not within the frame and the structure is such that no tight fitting parts are employed and as soon as released the door may easily swing into open position even though the spring hinges become weakened or inoperative for opening the door.

I do not wish to be restricted to the size, form. and proportions of the various parts. and oln'iousiy changes could be made in the construction herein described without departing "from the spirit of the invention it. being: only necessary that such changes tall within the scope of the appended claim.

ll'hat is claimed is 1- In a tubular fire escape, the combination ot' a frame adapted to fit in a wall opening. an entrance section mounted in the frame and projecting outwardly therefrom to the exterior oi the wall, a door hinged in the top of the frame to swing at its lower end outwardly and upwardly into the entrance section out of the way and leave the sides oi the entrance section tree of obstructions a latch at the bottom of the door, a threshold arranged at. the bottom of the frame and provided with a. detent to receive said latch and normally maintain the door closed, and a re easing handle mounted upon an intermediate part of the door at its inner side and connected to said latch for manually releasing the same to open the door.

In testimony whereof, I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR H. STURGES.

Witnesses (hunnrs E. Fos'rnn, Hinmr A. Srunons. 

